Nightshift
by piratestripes
Summary: Pepper puts in a little overtime, but Tony decides otherwise. Movie-verse. Fluff. Tony/Pepper-ish.


**Nightshift**

By piratestripes

Fandom/Pairing: Iron Man Tony/Pepper (movie-verse)  
Rating: PG (for one swear word).  
Word Count: 1,044  
Summary: Pepper puts in a little overtime, but Tony decides otherwise. Fluff.

Pepper sat in front of her laptop, staring at the screen and mentally willing her eyelids not to droop. She had been typing out expense reports for the past three hours, and five coffees later, she still wasn't remotely close to being finished. The tiny digital clock on the corner of the desktop told her it was well past midnight.

She yawned discreetly into her palm, and reached for the mug of lukewarm coffee she had been nursing for over an hour. She knew she should have left for her apartment hours ago, but there was something about leaving a job half done that didn't sit well with her.

"Still here, Miss Potts? I do hope you're paying yourself overtime for your diligence."

Pepper jumped, nearly spilling coffee over the paperwork that was haphazardly strewn across her desk. She looked up to see her boss leaning against the open doorframe, his white t-shirt covered in streaks of grease and grime.

"Oh! Mr. Stark, you scared me," she admitted, covering her still pounding heart with her hand. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

He shrugged his bare shoulders, tilted his head, and smirked at her. "Well, it _is_ my house, you know. I figure that I've got special scaring rights."

She exhaled deeply, trying to collect herself. "Whatever you say, Mr. Stark. Just don't practice on me anymore." She suddenly yawned again, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my goodness, excuse me. I don't think the coffee is working.."

The smile on his face faltered. "Why don't you call it a night, Miss Potts? Those expense reports can be finished in the morning."

"Don't be silly," she said, waving dismissively. "I'm almost done with them. If I don't finish now I'll forget where I left off." She reached out and began to gather up the scattered paperwork.

"Ah, no. You're going to go home to get a goodnight's rest," he said, stilling her hand and flipping the laptop's cover down in one fluid motion. "You're completely beat. In more ways than one. I'm the boss. Boss wins. End of conversation."

"B-but-" Pepper looked down to where his warm hand covered her own, wondering how he had gotten so close, so quickly. She gently pried her hand out from beneath his, and tried to reopen her laptop. As soon as she had it reopened, he slammed it shut again. "Now Mr. Stark, please be reasonable! I'm not a bit tired!" She fought back yet another yawn.

"Sure you're not. Jarvis?"

Jarvis's polite voice filled the office. "Yes, sir?"

"Kindly save the expense reports that Miss Potts has painstakingly typed, and shut down the laptop for the evening," he said, grinning at Pepper's look of outrage.

"Of course." There was a slight whirring sound, and the laptop powered down. "Will there be anything else, Mr. Stark?"

"No, that will be all Jarvis. Say goodnight to Miss Potts."

"Pleasant dreams, Miss Potts," Jarvis complied, the computer-voice sounding strangely amused, if that was possible.

"Well, Miss Potts?" Tony was still grinning, much to her chagrin.

"I—I can't _believe_ you're kicking me out," she sputtered, completely at a loss for words. He had never made her leave before. Then again, she had never worked until such a late hour. Still, she was in charge of the behind-the-scenes busy work, while he tinkered around with his toys down in the basement all day. If it wasn't for her, the work would never get done.

"Why? Were you planning on spending the night?" he asked innocently, though the arch of his eyebrows suggested otherwise. "You could always take my bed, and I could certainly sleep on the couch, if you prefer it."

"Mr. Stark!" she cried. She got to her feet, grabbing her purse and snatching her jacket off from the back of her chair. She started for the door, but suddenly stopped and whirled around to face her amused boss. "You know, there are some employers who would kill for this kind of dedication from an employee. It's no easy task trying to get your affairs in order, Mr. Stark, and it doesn't happen overnight."

"No, you're right, Miss Potts. It doesn't happen overnight. It happens in the morning. Now goodnight, and I'll see you in--," he glanced down at his wristwatch, "Seven.. no, make it nine, hours."

Her mouth fell open, but no words came out. Instead, she glared at him in what she thought was professional defiance, and stormed out the front door in a flurry of hurriedly clicking heels.

"Sweet dreams, Miss Potts. I'll expect you to be on time in the morning!" he called after her.

The door slammed shut, and a few moments later a car engine roared to life.

Tony laughed to himself, but upon surveying the messy desk, he groaned in annoyance. He gathered the paperwork up into an untidy pile, picked up the coffee mug, and put various pens and pencils back in their silver container.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Jarvis, what is it?" Tony asked busily, as he was trying to wipe up the coffee he had just spilled with the corner of his t-shirt.

"Miss Potts, sir," the computer said.

"What about her?" He cursed under his breath as some of the coffee escaped and began to soak the pile of papers. "Sonofabitch, it's all over the place now! This is why drinking on the job should only be attempted by me. Jarvis, c'mon, what about Miss Potts? While I'm young."

"Sir, Miss Potts has fallen asleep at the wheel of her car."

"What?! Is she okay?"

"Yes sir. The car is still in park."

Tony snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "Well, it appears that I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight after all."

"It appears so, sir."

"Or... I coul--"

"I would highly recommend you not try to share the same bed with her, sir."

"Of course, Jarvis, you're right. What was I thinking?"

"If you had programmed me with such an attribute, sir, I would be happy to tell you."

"Fat chance. Goodnight, Jarvis. I have to collect Miss Potts from her vehicle." He glanced down at his coffee stained t-shirt. "And then burn my shirt."

"Yes, Sir. But technically it's 'Good-morning'."

"Smart ass."

End. Please R&R. :-)


End file.
